Traore’s rapid progress shows Arsenal’s youngsters how it should be done

In the summer of 2005, Arsenal moved to sign 15 year old Armand Traore from Monaco. In his homeland, he was regarded as a bright prospect but there was no media furore when the Gunners came calling to bring him to North London. During his first season at the club, Armand made six appearances for the reserves and also featured for the under-18s whilst still a schoolboy. This was something of an acheivement for the Frenchman after work permit problems prevented him from featuring during the early stages of the season.

Arsene Wenger clearly liked what he saw in the left-back and in July 2006, somewhat suprsingly, named him in the starting line-up for the very first game at Emirates Stadium, the Dennis Bergkamp Testimonial. Not fazed by the big occasion, Armand put in a gutsy display, showing great technical ability and linking up well with winger Ryan Smith. Having shown what he could do, Traore was then named in the squad for the Club’s pre-season tour of Austria, along with Mark Randall. He started the game against Mattersburg and then came on as a substitute for Emmanuel Eboue in the 8-1 win over Schwadorf and was once again impressive. To cap off a fantastic summer, Armand was an unused subsititute for the Champions League qualifying tie with Dinamo Zagreb at the Makismir Stadium.

With the departure of Ashley Cole on transfer deadline day, Traore was suddenly Arsenal’s second choice left-back and was named on the bench for the Carling Cup third round clash with West Brom. After only 23 minutes, Emmanuel Adebayor picked up an injury and Arsene Wenger had a decision to make as to who he would bring on. The obvious choice was Jay Simpson, but Wenger opted for Traore to come on and play on the left of midfield. This was his first-team debut and he won many admirers from across the footballing globe. He went on to play in every round of the competition, including the final against Chelsea at the Millenium Stadium. Armand may have been on the losing side that day, but it was fantastic experience for him. In addition, he featured against Blackburn in the FA Cup and was named on the bench for the Premier League game at home to Reading.

After a highly successful breakthrough season, Traore was named in the first team squad ahead of the 2007/2008 season and was rewarded with the squad number 30. He travelled to Austria once more, and also played in the Emirates Cup and was again a prominent figure in the Carling Cup. Arsenal may have crashed out in the semi-final to Spurs this season but again it was fantastic experience for the lad. Prior to the Blackburn quarter-final, Wenger spoke of his admiration for his compatriot

“Armand has gone from a useful boy to nearly an adult in football, I still think he has 10-15 per cent to grow experience-wise and to be completely ready for the Premier League but I wouldn’t be scared to play him. He has made so much improvement. He has matured his behaviour his attitude in training and he is completely a different person.

He also started games in the Champions League and the FA Cup, but the endearing memory of Traore from this season is not a good one. He was ripped apart at Old Trafford as Arsenal suffered a 4-0 defeat but, being the hard-working professional that he is, Armand will look back on that performance and attempt to rectify his mistakes. Arsene Wenger kept faith in him and chose him to start at left-back last weekend against Liverpool in the Premier League. It was a shock decision, and many people thought he would be out of his depth but, when he was substituted he recieved a terrific reception from the fans. Given his rapid progress, you tend to forget that he is only 18 years of age.

Traore still turns out for the reserves and has been used more as a left-winger in recent weeks. It’s certainly a role he enjoys and could end up being his main position in the long term. He is also a French u-19 international, and was recently involved in qualifying for the European Championships of that age group.

He is still developing and has a lot to learn. However, Armand has shown over the last 18 months or so that he certainly has the potential to be a great player and is rumoured to be a loan target for Portsmouth next season. Nothing has been agreed, but they have expressed interest in him and he gets on well with Lassana Diarra, so he would have no problems settling.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Armand, but judging by the way he has started his career, you can only expect his development to continue apace.